


The Stranger (Bonus Story)

by KakumeiNoHi



Series: The Stories of Winter and her Partner [9]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Atlas Academy, Bumbleby (mentioned), Canon Universe, F/F, RWBY - Freeform, Schneesters, rwby canon universe, rwby7, schneeblings, whiterose (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27196564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KakumeiNoHi/pseuds/KakumeiNoHi
Summary: Weiss was taking a walk through the empty hallways of Atlas Academy.Ever since she and her teammates and friends had come to Atlas she had been feeling restless, but she also knew that it had been necessary.When she had broken out of the manor and left her home kingdom a few weeks ago she didn’t think that she would be so back soon, let alone living in the dorms of Atlas Academy with her friends.Friends and teammates who had always been by her side to support her and she couldn’t be more grateful and happy to have them. Winter as well, was now able to be by her side to train and teach her like she used to be able to before she left for her own combat training.At first Weiss had felt lonely when she saw her sister leave, but Winter had also been teaching her that she should be able to stand on her own two feet. If she kept up with her training and continued to get stronger she too could choose her own path. Weiss had been determined to follow suit and chase after her and as harsh as it may have appeared at the time, she was grateful for having been pushed this hard by her sister.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Weiss Schnee & Winter Schnee, Winter Schnee/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Stories of Winter and her Partner [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914799
Kudos: 22





	The Stranger (Bonus Story)

**Author's Note:**

> Think of this as a little bit of a side/bonus story of the series :) also reading the entire series so far is not necessary but recommended :3

Weiss was taking a walk through the empty hallways of Atlas Academy.  
Ever since she and her teammates and friends had come to Atlas she had been feeling restless, but she also knew that it had been necessary.

When she had broken out of the manor and left her home kingdom a few weeks ago she didn’t think that she would be back so soon, let alone living in the dorms of Atlas Academy with her friends.

Friends and teammates who had always been by her side to support her and she couldn’t be more grateful and happy to have them. Winter as well, was now able to be by her side to train and teach her like she used to be able to before she left for her own combat training.  
At first Weiss had felt lonely when she saw her sister leave, but Winter had also been teaching her that she should be able to stand on her own two feet. If she kept up with her training and continued to get stronger she too could choose her own path. Weiss had been determined to follow suit and chase after her and as harsh as it may have appeared at the time, she was grateful for having been pushed this hard by her sister.

In hindsight Weiss also realized that her sister had always been there to guide her whenever she _really_ needed her. She also remembered the countless times Winter had stepped in front of her or Whitley to shield them whenever Jacques was blowing up at them for whatever reason he could think of.  
The moment Winter interfered he would shift his focus towards her, she would send them back to their rooms and Weiss would hear the fighting halfway through the hallway. Both, the yelling and whenever he would hit her...  
Unlike Weiss who would later on just obediently listen to his outbursts to avoid the worst Winter had always talked and argued back.

Maybe it was because she had been older and living with Jacques’ outbursts even before Weiss herself was born but unlike her younger siblings, Winter had reached the point of not caring about the consequences of disobedience much earlier than Weiss had.  
It was because of that that Weiss remembered her older sister always being headstrong to the point of being angry and frustrated all the time. It wasn’t until she was made the new heiress that Weiss had an even better idea of what her sister must have endured for the sake of her and her brother. Still Winter had never lashed out at any of them because of what she had to go through whenever she or Whitley had caused trouble.

Instead the moment Weiss had been old enough to hold a weapon Winter had asked her if she wanted to get stronger and leave the manor. Weiss only had to reply with a “Yes.” and Winter had unlocked her aura for her and in secret at first she had started to train her.  
She had been harsh and she would yell at her whenever she would give up or doubt herself, but she helped her learn about and unlock their shared semblance. Winter had also taught her how to use a sword. At first it was one of her own ones that she would give Weiss to hold and wield. It wasn’t until Winter had announced that she was going to leave for Atlas Academy that they had arranged for Weiss’ own weapon, Myrtenaster.  
By that point Weiss had also been not only strong enough to continue her training on her own, but she had also been so far into it that Jacques couldn’t interfere and stop her from doing so out in the open anymore.

Weiss had always been grateful for everything Winter had taught her and she was also convinced that even now Winter was shielding her from their father and the one who had managed to keep her return to Atlas a secret from him so far.

But even though she was safe and secure in so many ways, Weiss still couldn’t help but to feel a little anxious, which is why she had stepped outside of her team's new shared room for some fresh air. She loved her teammates, her new family, but she needed some time alone.  
And while she was genuinely happy for Blake and Yang and their blooming relationship, there was only so much of their flirting she could handle a day.

When she had told their teammates that she was stepping out for a moment her partner Ruby had, of course, immediately offered to come along with her.  
Ever since they had been back to Atlas her partner had never let her out of her sight and was constantly checking on her, making sure they all weren’t doing anything that made her feel unnecessarily uneasy.

Weiss had declined her offer to accompany her and she had told her not to worry and get some rest herself. After all it hadn’t been too long since she had last used her ability and they had yet to find out how much it takes out her. Weiss told her that she simply needed some time alone to gather her thoughts and feelings after everything that had happened since their arrival only a few days ago.  
Silver eyes had looked at her attentively at first but in the end Ruby had simply nodded and smiled at her gently. “Alright, don’t take too long then.” Weiss’ expression had softened. “I won’t.”

Weiss didn’t know the layout and so she had been wandering around aimlessly through the mostly empty hallways of the academy. It was fairly late and she figured that most of the students would be either in their rooms studying or sleeping already.

She must have however reached the edge of the building since part of the wall to her right opened up for a giant open glass door which led to a balcony.  
When she looked outside she had noticed somebody standing there.  
A student this late? The person was facing away from her and leaning on the handrail.  
Weiss decided that she should probably just walk by. Still somewhat curious however she had kept her eyes on this solitary individual and Weiss noticed that the person standing there must be a Faunus. She had noticed animal ears, one of which had twitched back towards her direction only after a few steps. Weiss stopped and cursed her high heels a little.  
The person turned their head back and upon noticing Weiss both ears perked up. Holding a mug in one hand this stranger who Weiss had never met before started to wave at her with one hand, beckoning her to come closer. Weiss sighed. She might as well see what this was all about and she _had_ been curious about whoever would be up this late.

Once she had come closer she noticed that the person she was approaching should no longer be a student at the academy. In fact the young woman appeared to be about the same age as her older sister Winter. Her dark hair was in a messy low bun and she was wearing an emerald colored sweater, the same color as her eyes which were looking at her gleefully. Was she a soldier maybe? The academy was the military’s headquarter as well after all. Still what would she be doing here? Weiss realized that she must have wandered into the military quarters’ wing.

“Hey, there, little one. You’re a lot further away than you’re supposed to be.” She was smiling cheekily.

 _Little one?_ Still Weiss lowered her head politely. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been here for too long and got lost.”

“Don’t worry about it, it happens.” She laughed. “Anyway, why don’t you join me?”

“Join you? For what? And you’re not going to report me or something?” Weiss wasn’t yet sure about what to think about this stranger, but for now she decided to maybe just play along. If only to satisfy her curiosity.

“Nah, not for something like that. Also, I don’t think I’m really in the position to do so.” She laughed nervously. Just what kind of person was she?

Weiss looked at her in suspicion. “Should I be reporting you instead?”

“No, no. That’s not it.” She chuckled. “Anyway, you look like you need somebody to help you sort out a few things...So stay.”

Weiss was even more suspicious now. “And how would you know that?”

“Well, for once you’ve been wandering around at the academy late in the evening and gotten yourself lost, little one.” She put her elbows back on the handrail and took a sip out of her mug.

Weiss looked to the side. She _did_ have a point.

“Secondly I may simply just have acquired an eye for that kind of troubled soul.” She winked at her. Weiss rolled her eyes at the stranger.  
She seemed annoying, but not actually like a bad person and so she leaned her back on the railing of the balcony.

“Fine, I’ll stay for a bit.”

The stranger chuckled and her ears perked up quickly. “Hold on.”

Weiss watched curiously as one of her arms, a shoulder and her head disappeared and a black shroud clouded the edges of where her body continued to be standing next to her. Was this her semblance? A few minutes passed and she re-materialized again. She was holding a second mug which she offered Weiss.

“Take this, little one. It’ll make you feel better.” She smiled at her widely.

Surprised Weiss took the mug into both of her hands. From the smell of it it seemed like…

“Hot chocolate?” She tilted her head at the stranger. “I’m not a child, you know. Besides what’s with the ‘little one’?”

“True.” She chuckled. “But you already seem anxious enough without some caffeine intake this late and ‘little one’ suits you, so why not just stick with it for now?”

Weiss sighed and once more the stranger chuckled at her. She had been awfully cheery this entire time.

“You know what? I don’t even care anymore.” Weiss’ sarcasm was received with an amused hum.

“So, do tell, what's been bothering you this late?”

Weiss sighed. She might just as well talk to this stranger and get an outside perspective on things. She would have to leave out the details of course.

“I’m not sure….when I left Atlas a while back, I didn’t really leave it on the best of terms.” _To put it mildly_ was something she didn’t add. “...and I didn’t think that I’d be back again so soon...or at all really…”

“So why _did_ you come back?”

Weiss looked at her hands. She was trying to put it into words.

“There’s something my friends and I need to do here. I want to be by their side and help.”

“So you’re only following those random friends of yours around then?”

“That’s not what this is!” Weiss wasn’t yelling, but her voice was firm and strong. “They are family to me, but I have still made my own decisions and I’m going to follow them through.”  
There was no doubt about anything she had just said in her. The stranger had perked up and looked at her in surprise at first, but her look soften immediately.

“Good.” She laughed quietly and took a sip out of her mug.

Weiss was puzzled. Was that all she was going to say to her? She looked at the hot chocolate she was holding. Still somehow she felt like the tightness in her chest had loosened a little. It seemed like whatever she had bottled up inside of her had left, the moment the stranger had doubted her independence and her relationship towards her teammates and friends.  
Something dawned on her and she raised her head to look at this emerald-eyed stranger who was now looking at her smiling and annoyingly pleased with herself. Seeing her like this had Weiss only more convinced about how her hunch really might be right.

“Did you taunt me like that on purpose?” She asked the Faunus.

“Hm? Did I do something like that?” She was _obviously_ feigning innocence.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and glared at her in suspicion.

“C’mon, little one. Don’t give me _those_ eyes.”

Weiss was about to dig deeper, when the stranger perked up. One of her ears had moved back and she turned to look at the direction of a sound she had presumably heard before Weiss. Weiss turned her head to follow her line of sight. Seconds later she too heard steps coming towards them.

And it only took a few more seconds after for a familiar silhouette to appear by the glass wall and door. _Winter?_ In surprise Weiss had moved away from the railing and bolted upright.

Not only that, it seemed like her sister had actually specifically been on her way to the balcony. Still Winter had stopped dead in her tracks, visibly surprised the moment her eyes had met those of her younger sister.

She had however regained her composure quickly and she continued walking towards Weiss and the stranger, who was now rather timidly waving at her sister.  
And as she was coming closer Winter had been eyeing the Faunus with...suspicion? worry? Or was it just simple curiosity?  
Weiss could not quite put her finger on it. Either way her older sister was now standing next to them and she had turned her eyes away from the stranger and towards her.

“Weiss, what are you doing here? Especially this late?”

“I needed to stretch my legs and some fresh air. I didn’t think I’d end up walking this far however.”

“I see.” Her sister’s response was simple and Weiss was surprised. Was she not going to lecture her?

Instead Winter turned to once more look at the stranger. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “And why are _you_ here?”

The stranger’s ears lowered and she tried to hide her face behind her mug.

“Same reason?” she replied measly.

“Don’t even try it.” Now Winter’s look was definitely an angry one. She walked up closer to the stranger who Weiss had just met and slapped her shoulder. It wasn’t too forceful, still the Faunus flinched in pain.

“Your shoulder still hasn’t healed properly. You’re supposed to be resting. And why aren’t you wearing the arm sling?”

“Will you relax, it was only dislocated. With my aura I’ll be completely healed by tomorrow evening at worst. Besides my legs are still fine and you hitting me isn’t helping.”

Winter grabbed her by the cheek and pulled. “That’s not the point and _fine_ , I’m sorry for hitting you. Just go back to bed now.”

“How did you even find me this quickly anyway?” The stranger was pouting to the side.

“What do you mean 'how'? You always come here to wait and stare at the moon, whenever I still have to do work this late. And I knew that you wouldn’t be listening and resting, so I just came straight here.”

The stranger clicked her tongue. Winter pulled her cheek once more.

Weiss was standing to the side watching their interactions curiously. Who was this person her older sister was so concerned for?  
What’s more who was she to be able to bring out this side of her? Weiss laughed quietly. It was a side she barely remembered Winter having back when they were still small children and playing together in their rooms.

When she heard her younger sister’s laugh, Winter jolted up immediately, she put her hands behind her back and straightened her posture.  
The stranger, at the sight of Winter switching gears so quickly, only giggled. Winter shot a sharp look at her, but she was still smiling gleefully.

“You know, your baby sister is much sweeter than you. She does have that look of yours down though.”

And while Weiss froze in astonishment, Winter’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. The stranger pointed at Winter's face “Yeah, that one.” she laughed.

Weiss was still surprised. Well, now that she was directly standing next to her older sister it was probably obvious, but it almost seemed like the stranger was somehow not only close to her sister, but she had known who she was from the very beginning. That _would_ explain why she had been so happy the entire time they were talking and possibly why she knew which button she had to push...

“You knew who I was? Why didn’t you say so?” Weiss wanted to confirm her suspicion.

Winter who was looking at Weiss, now moved her eyes towards the stranger. She tilted her head at her and smiled ever so slightly only for the stranger to smile back at her gently. What was going on?

“Why _didn’t_ you say anything?” Weiss looked at her sister who was now asking the question.

The stranger chuckled and looked at Weiss.

“I don’t know. I felt like you might appreciate it more if I just treated you like any other random kid that would have wandered into the military wing this late.”  
She looked at Winter from the side and then straight back at Weiss, whose eyes lit up when she heard that.

“Besides if you would have wanted me to know you’re a Schnee you would have straight up told me, since you didn’t like the nickname.”

“I...guess so...and thank you. I really did appreciate being able to normally talk to somebody who seemed to be on the outside of things.”  
She really _did_ help her vent out some of her anxiousness after all. “Even though you knew who I was after all.”

“Don’t mention it, little one and I’m sorry for deceiving you a little there.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not like I myself had asked your name or anything. And you were really helpful. But…”

Weiss looked at both her sister and the stranger.

“...I still have no idea who you are and are you really going to continue calling me ‘little one’ even now?”

“Well, it suits you, though. You’re even tinier than Winter here.”

“I’m not tiny!” Both sisters had retorted at the same time.

“Alright, sure, you’re not.” An amused smile appeared on the strangers lips.

”Let’s add those high high _very high_ heels to your regular heights then, since you guys are wearing them all the time.”

The stranger laughed as she placed an elbow on Winter’s shoulder to lean on her, even though she was just a bit taller than her, since…Winter’s high heels added the difference to her height…Seeing that, Weiss felt like she had to admit to a small defeat and she looked to the side.

“Anyway…” Winter cleared her throat and Weiss turned her attention to her sister.

“This one here…” She pointed at the Faunus, who was still leaning on her and waving at Weiss.

“...is Cassie Grey. She has been my partner since Atlas Academy.”

Weiss looked at her sister in astonishment. Since she knew that Winter had been in a special program at the academy, she had always assumed that she had been solo. Or more so because Weiss had always idolized her so much, the thought that her sister might have been part of a pair never really crossed her mind before.  
Thinking back Weiss realized that the slightest changes that had occurred in her sister after she had entered Atlas Academy might have been the result of having somebody else by her side.

She remembered how Winter had come back to visit them once during the holidays and sometimes even on days when their father was on business trips.

Back then Winter still had kept her cold appearance, but there had also been a new slightly gentler side to her.  
Instead of curtly explaining a glyph to her she had started to patiently talk her through them. She would still snap at Weiss whenever she was complaining about never being able to get some things, but she would also put her hand on her shoulder to encourage her to try again.  
Winter had also shown Weiss everything she had learned ever since she entered the academy and told her that she could do just the same. Every Schnee was capable of what she had shown her, Weiss only had to stop doubting herself and make her own choices.

Winter had fueled her desire to leave the manor even more and Weiss was no longer simply trying to get away, she was trying to actively make a change for herself and she had wanted to reclaim the Schnee name for herself.  
It had been what she had decided on and while Winter had respected her decision she had also warned her about clinging to the family name. It wasn’t however until the Fall of Beacon that Weiss had grown enough to understand what she had been trying to tell her.

Weiss was watching her sister carefully remove her partner’s arm from her shoulder and starting to lecture her about how she should not be moving it like that. She was nagging her mercilessly but she was also rubbing her partner’s shoulder gently at the same time.  
Seeing her sister being affectionate with someone else, made her remember how Winter had on one of her visits gently ruffled through an afterwards puzzled Whitley’s hair and how she had hugged her for the first time when she left and how she had since continued to hug her goodbye whenever they could meet.

Weiss would always freeze up whenever her sister pulled her in for a hug, she would never know how to react at first and Winter’s hugs had been so rare that she would always be caught by surprise.  
The moment she did realize what her sister was doing however, Weiss had always fully leaned and happily nuzzled into her and not once had she felt her sister not doing the same. They might have been rare, but those hugs were still very precious to both of them and they still are.

Now that Weiss thought about it, the change in Winter must have been brought on by at least this one person, who was currently patiently allowing her sister to make a fuss over her.  
Much like Weiss herself, her sister would have not known how to show especially physical affection or how to even behave when receiving it. It was simply something they hadn’t been used to growing up. And even though Winter may still not be the best at showing her affection Weiss could always feel the warmth her older sister was trying to convey whenever she did.

A short quiet laugh escaped her.

“Ah, see what you’re doing, Winter? She’s laughing at me. Is that how you want your sister to know your partner?”

“You mean as the idiot you are? Yes. So she knows better than to go along with any of your nonsense.”

“Ouch, that really hurts my feelings, you know.” Weiss was sure that Cassie was _somewhat_ trying to sound hurt, but her lips still curled into a smile.

“Of course it does.” Winter rolled her eyes at her partner and turned her head to look at Weiss.

“Weiss? You haven’t said anything yet...but I guess you would be surprised, since I never mentioned Cass before...” She looked down for a moment and hesitated before looking back up.

“Is there something you would like to know maybe?”

Weiss looked down to think. “I, well, it’s true that I’m a bit surprised.”

She raised her head to look straight into her older sister’s eyes. Eyes the same as hers.

“But I think it’s nice to know, that you too had somebody by your side at the academy.” She smiled at her gleefully.

“I guess so.” Winter smiled back at her. It was a soft smile, one Weiss very rarely got to see.

“I do have a question however.” Weiss had watched Cassie walk to Winter’s other side to place her other elbow on Winter’s shoulder and the two perked up attentively.

“You said you’ve been partners since the academy...does that mean you’re still partners and Cassie is a special operative too?” She looked at her older sister’s partner, who exchanged a short look with Winter.

“We’re still partners…” It was Winter who replied.

“...but I’m not a special operative.” Cassie continued.

“You’re not? " That would mean that they weren’t officially partnered up then. Weiss started a have a hunch. “At least not in a professional kind of way?”

“Correct, since I’m an independent Huntress with no military association whatsoever.”

But they are still _partners_...Weiss’ wheels were still turning but for now she decided to just go with the flow, instead of digging deeper. If they wanted her to know about what she suspected to be a _romantic_ relationship, the two of them would tell her on their own terms.  
And so, recalling their earlier banter, Weiss figured that she should maybe tease her sister’s probably lover instead.

“Soooo, if you’re not part of the military I really should have been reporting you for hanging out here after all.”

Weiss saw Winter’s head immediately turn to her partner. She placed one of her hands on her own hip and the other one on her temple.

“Reporting you? Did you straight up tell her that you’re somebody who shouldn’t be here?”

Astonished Weiss put her hand in front of her face. “Wait, what? I was only joking, are you really not - ”

“No, it’s not what you think it is. She only shouldn’t be running around like this _right now_.” Winter added grumpily.

“I do have a permission to be here at the academy and the headquarters.” Cassie chuckled.

“One that I should revoke, just because you were trying to get Weiss into trouble alone.”

“What?! I would never do that.” The Faunus pulled her ears back and blinked innocently at Winter, who only rolled her eyes at her. Weiss giggled.

“Don’t worry, I would have been able to handle myself, if she had tried to pull something over me.” She straightened her posture proudly.

“Oh, really? And what is it you would have been able to do?” Her sister had a teasing smile on her face.

“You speak so very confidently, little one.” And her partner was backing her up.

Weiss groaned and rolled her eyes. They were teaming up on her. _Great._ Still she couldn’t help but to smile a little at how free the banter was.

Nonetheless she had a point to prove and so Weiss held both of her palms in front of her.  
Both Winter and her partner were watching her curiously and Weiss took a deep breath to conjure a small glyph and summon her Arma Gigas which was now standing in her open palms, sword proudly over the shoulder.

Weiss could see a glint of surprise on her older sister’s face, before she had almost immediately managed to hide it.  
Unlike Winter, her partner was beaming with excitement and had no problem showing it. Once she had come over the initial surprise, she instantly stepped in front of Weiss and lowered her head to take a closer look at her tiny knight. Her face was almost glued to it as she used her index finger to nudge its head. Something her knight begrudgingly took on the chin.

“Winter, it’s a mini knight!” Ears perked up and eyes shining she looked up towards Weiss. “It’s the best thing ever!” Weiss giggled. “What else can you summon?” Weiss noticed how she raised her hands to almost touch her arms, but for some reason she had decided against it and dropped them again.

“Well, it seems like you have improved at least a little bit since we last met.” Winter was as blasé as ever.

Weiss curled her lips. She was going to show her sister how much she improved. While she was contemplating whether or not she should make a bigger summon, her sister’s partner turned her head to look at Winter, who avoided her gaze.  
Within seconds she had disappeared and reappeared with her arms around Winter's waist. She had done something similar earlier, hadn’t she? This must be part of her semblance then.

“Winter, make a mini Beowolf!” With her partner all snuggled up to her, Winter was trying to avoid looking directly into the big puppy eyes she was now flashing at her.

“No.” Weiss was wondering about how much resolve it had cost her older sister to actually deny her partner’s plea like that.  
Objectively it shouldn’t even take her much effort to summon an entire army of tiny Beowolves, but Weiss suspected that it was simply a matter of keeping up the image she had created for herself.

Amused Weiss was watching their back and forth. She decided to dissolve her Arma Gigas. This could wait for now and a quiet laugh escaped her. Watching her older sister getting pestered like this was a lot more interesting.

“Why not? You already summon a swarm of small Nevermores. Do one tiny Beowolf. Pleeeeease.” Cassie had now put her arms around Winter’s shoulders and she was nuzzling into her neck.

“It’s not happening.” Winter put her palm on her face and shoved her partner off. She caught Weiss smiling at her and immediately straighten her posture and coat.

Weiss giggled into her hand and Winter avoided her gaze. She saw her sister’s partner disappear again. She didn’t have the time to wonder about where she was going to appear again when Cassie's palms materialized in front of her. Weiss noticed how her fingers were facing away from her...which meant she was…behind her?  
Weiss felt a light weight on her back and differently than before, when she had been quickly fading in and out of appearance, this time around Cassie was slowly materializing behind her.  
It was like she was purposefully giving Weiss the time to step away if she had wanted to. And if she had tried to get this close to her when they had first met earlier Weiss definitely would have put her on ice immediately.  
Now that she knew her however, Weiss didn’t mind how her sister’s partner was now leaning on her back with her arms loosely around her shoulders and her head resting on top of hers.

“Weiss, your sister is no fun at all.” She sighed and Weiss chuckled at her sister’s dry smile in response to that.

“Why are you even so excited about this? It’s not like you’ve never seen a summon before.” Winter’s remark was slightly surly. 

“True, I’ve seen _your_ summons a lot of times. But that doesn’t make your semblance any less impressive, you know. So, it’s still amazing to see Weiss here using it." Still holding Weiss she slightly swayed from side to side and upon hearing her words Weiss felt a sense of pride in herself.

“Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it.” Winter had sighed.

“Also...it might be a little different but it still somehow reminds me of the first time I saw you summon. We were only a little younger than Weiss right now, weren’t we?”

As her partner chuckled, Winter lowered her head and looked to the side. Weiss saw her expression soften with nostalgia and smiled. So she could get like that, too?

“Anyway,…” Cassie let go of Weiss. She stepped next to her to stretch only to stop herself halfway and wince. Weiss remembered how she was actually injured. “I am actually starting to get a bit tired after all.”

She started to walk towards Winter.

“I heard your little sister hasn’t been here for too long. Maybe you should show her the way back, so she won’t get lost.”  
She stood next to her and put her hand on Winter’s shoulder. “You’re done for the day, right?”

“I am.” Winter exchanged a long look with her partner, whose back was turned towards Weiss. She then turned her head towards Weiss. “I guess, I should show you back to the student dorms.”

Cassie turned back to look at Weiss. “Have your big sister give you my contact info, so you can call me if you ever need anything. And remember unlike your sister _I’m_ not military.”

She winked and Winter elbowed her slightly. “Don’t get her into trouble.”

“Oh, relax, what do you think I would do? Help her steal an airship?” As Weiss chuckled guiltily Cassie was once again elbowed, this time a little harder.

“What was that for?” - “You don’t need to know.” - “Fine, don’t tell me. Did you actually try to steal an airship, Weiss?”

Weiss looked to the side. “Well, technically…” she didn’t even need to finish her sentence for Cassie to break into roaring laughter. Winter however wasn’t as amused as her partner. She may have forgiven her, but that didn’t mean that she was okay with Weiss doing something that dangerous on a regular basis. And Cassie's laughter was quickly stifled by once again Winter's elbow to her side.

“I’ll tell you what, little one. I don’t have any missions lined up for now, why don’t you hit me up as soon as you’ve settled in and tell me all about it.”

“I will.” Weiss gave her a small nod. She was definitely going to meet up with her sister’s partner some time soon.

“Alright, see you later.” Cassie waved at her and turned towards Winter to place her hand on her shoulder once more.  
Weiss saw her almost leaning in as if to place a kiss on her sister’s cheek, who was about to lean into it. They both however came to sudden halt and instead Cassie only tapped Winter’s shoulder. Winter nodded and her partner disappeared using her semblance.

There was a moment of silence between Weiss and her sister.

Winter spoke first.

“As long as she’s free you should ask Cass to train you as well.  
She may not look like it but she could teach you a lot about how to use your aura more efficiently. I also believe that the two of us could easily teach you and your partner some of our combos, if you’d like.”

“It has been a while since you last trained me, hasn’t it?” Weiss lowered her head.

“Yes…” Weiss was still looking down, when she heard her sister taking steps towards her. “...but you’re here now and we can catch up on a few things.” Weiss felt her sister’s hand on her shoulder.

”Weiss,…” Her voice was soft. ”I’m...glad you’re safe.”

Weiss raised her head to look at her sister. She put her arms around her and leaned into a hug that Winter returned immediately. They nuzzled their heads together and a wave of relieve swept over Weiss.  
Whatever anxiousness she still had in her left and her chest suddenly felt a lot lighter.  
They parted a little but they were still holding each other in their arms for a bit.

“...as for the reason I never told you about my partner…” Winter started to explain but Weiss shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. Actually, I don’t think our meeting would have went so smoothly, if I had met her any sooner.” Weiss smiled shyly at her older sister.

She was all too aware of how she had been behaving in the past. She was also especially aware of how her views about Faunus had been and she had since done a lot of growing up.

Winter tilted her head at her. She examined her carefully, but she didn’t say anything. Weiss decided to tease her a little.

“But I’m glad that I could finally meet _your girlfriend_.” Her words made Winter jolt up and let go of her.

“You…” She was astonished at first, but then she only chuckled. “I guess, I don’t need to tell you about that then.”

“No, I had a hunch the moment I knew that you weren’t working with each other as special operatives and watching you two interact only confirmed it.” She smiled confidently.

“You’re not surprised then?”

“You mean about her being a Faunus or a woman?” Weiss giggled.

“I have learned a lot about Faunus over the past two years and it changed my view of them enormously. As for her being a woman, well, I guess that explains why you were always looking at the girls instead of the boys during those unbearable dinner parties. Not that I wasn't guilty of sneaking looks at both myself.” She giggled.

“I see.” Winter chuckled and folded her hands behind her back. “Speaking of such things…I have noticed that you and your partner seem to be a lot closer than when I last met the two of you.”

Weiss went slightly red. “We are.”

“So, I suppose I should have a talk with her some time soon.” Winter started to walk around Weiss, who was getting nervous.

“W-what kind of talk?”

“Well, I _am_ your older sister after all. I need to make sure that she’s treating you well and with respect.” Her tone was teasing, but Weiss wouldn’t have put it past her to actually grab and pull Ruby aside to interrogate her in some dark room.

“You really don’t need to do any of that, Winter.” 

Her sister chuckled. “Anyway, let’s go back to your dorm room. It’s getting late and I have to make sure my partner takes care of herself.” She started walking and Weiss followed.

“Does she often get injured when she’s out on missions?”

“No, fortunately enough she’s a lot less reckless than she used to be. But that doesn’t mean that she won’t try and stop an entire building from falling and throw her shoulder out when necessary.”

Weiss stopped. “She did what?”

“Don’t sweat the details, but let’s just say she’s lucky to have rocket boosters in her halberd. Who would have thought that upgrade would ever actually come in handy? Here I had been trying to convince her it's overkill.”

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Weiss was still able to feel the love her sister had for her partner. Weiss smiled as she continued to follow her sister.

“By the way, it would have been okay for you to kiss back then when she left. I don’t mind.”

“I noticed you’re having a little too much fun with this, Weiss.”

Winter stopped for a bit and Weiss caught up to her. Side by side they continued to walk through the hallways of the academy.

**Author's Note:**

> Read Part 11 of the Series for a short fluffy Winter/Cassie followup and feel free to check out Part 02 of my Storiettes for the Weiss/Ruby followup :)


End file.
